


Ianto Jones and the Treasure of the Time Lords

by blackrose_17



Series: The Adventures of Ianto Jones [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Movie Fusion, Community: reel_torchwood, F/F, Getting Back Together, M/M, Past Infidelity, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-27
Updated: 2013-09-27
Packaged: 2017-12-27 16:09:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/980944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose_17/pseuds/blackrose_17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The treasure of the Time Lords has long been sought after by archaeologists and treasure hunters alike, and being the one to find it has been a lifelong dream of Ianto Jones. New knowledge has arisen regarding its whereabouts and Ianto finds himself unexpectedly reuniting with his old flame, Jack Harkness; only by working together can they reach the treasure before those chasing them do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, Doctor Who or the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark  
> Beta by the always amazing RoyalLadyEmma  
> Written for Round Six of Reel_Torchwood

**Chapter 1**

In the 51st Century mankind has moved beyond their own planet and stretched out into the stars and in doing so, they have learned to leave behind their prejudices and beliefs that they are alone in the universe.

Even before man reached the stars however, stories existed of a race that travelled freely through and watched over time and space. Their name was whispered and feared by some, sung and celebrated by others; they were Time Lords. There was no race greater or more revered than them. They were long sought after by those who wanted to learn about – or steal – their ability to travel through time and space. But all efforts to find them or their home planet, Gallifrey, failed and then rumours began floating around that the reason they were no longer around was that the Time Lords had engaged their greatest and deadliest enemy, the Daleks, in a time war that threatened to engulf all the universe. Then suddenly it was over and both terrifyingly powerful races were gone.

All that they ever were or would be was gone. Forever.

Then, years later, stories began circulating of a Gallifreyan relic, a Time Lord treasure full of wonders beyond imagining or believing. Such were the legends surrounding it that locating the last remaining artefacts of the fabled Time Lords became the dream find of every archaeologist and treasure hunter in the known universe.

For it was believed that whomsoever found the treasure would have the power of time at their fingertips.

******

Thick lush forests of green grew tall and straight, reaching up to the sky, while wild flowers bloomed in riotous colours and vines grew freely around the ancient ruins of Anevia. The first peoples of the planet Daddario were another of the ancient races who, like the Gallifreyans, had perfected space travel long before humans ever dreamt of leaving Old Earth. Like so many other ancient civilisations that formed the basis of myth and legend, no one knew what became of their culture and society but the young man leading the expedition was determined to find out what happened to them.

At the head of the party was a young man whose short leather jacket was definitely not the ideal wear for the hot, humid weather of Anevia, but it didn't seem to bother him a bit. Covering his head at a jaunty angle was an old-fashioned and battered fedora that kept the heat off of his head and the sun out of his eyes and stuck in its band was a very weird-looking feather, acquired from the tail feathers of an exotic dancer in the Vegas Galaxy. Despite his young age, Ianto Jones was one of New Earth's greatest archaeologists, renowned for taking the most life-threatening risks and the greatest chances during his explorations but who usually ended up with truly astounding finds.

Behind Ianto was his guide, Adam, a man Ianto rightfully trusted about as far as he could throw him; the unscrupulous opportunist was well-known for happily stabbing his clients in the back when offered a higher price. Ianto didn’t like him and hated doing business with him, but the man had connections that Ianto needed, although that didn’t mean that he wasn’t keeping a close eye on Adam and his lover/partner, Grey. The man had even fewer ethics than Adam and if given half a chance, Ianto would happily him toss off the nearest cliff.

Following Grey and Adam walked a small group of five Amadeus. Many ages ago they had established trade agreements with the Anevia and they continued to benefit from that trust by showing the ruins to tourists and explorers alike for a hefty price. For an additional fee, the men of the village consented to act as porters for Ianto’s group and take care of the pack animals. The Amadeus’ language was, as best Ianto could tell, a mixture of old Earth French and ancient Latin, and from the hushed and hurried conversations he’d overheard, they were getting nervous about getting too close to the ruins. It would seem that even in extinction, the Anevia didn’t take kindly to outsiders coming to plunder their treasure.

“They’re talking about the curse again,” Adam growled under his breath, glaring at the Amadeus before snarling back in their own language, “Stop being cowards; there is no such thing as a curse!”

Ianto shook his head and lowered the brim of his hat to hide his knowing eyes; he could– in fact, he was sure _everyone_ could hear – the timber of fear in Adam’s voice. One of the first things any explorer learned was that the Anevia were very well known for their deadly traps. In fact, all the newsfeeds in the galaxy had carried a story and/or video of how the last group that came to this particular temple never returned and no trace of them has ever been found.

After many days of walking through dense jungle, of sleeping on the hard ground, of being drenched by torrential downpours and of eating strange food prepared by their native guides, Ianto felt a grateful smile grace his face as his party finally reached the break in the canyon wall. In between its massive ramparts lay a trail that would lead him to his destination, for off in the distance was the hazy yet still majestic outline of the Temple of the Anevia Warriors, rumoured to be thousands, if not millions of years old.

Ianto was struck by its beauty, which was visible at such a distance, and a low whistle of pure admiration escaped his lips. He stood, absorbing the sight, feeling the serenity of it reaching out for him, before terrified mutterings reached his ears and he turned in time to see three of the Amadeus guides drop the heavy packs they were holding then turn tail and run back the way they came.

“Why those no good cowards!” Adam snarled viciously as he pulled out his sonic blaster and aimed for one of the retreating men’s back.

“No!” Ianto snapped impatiently as he immediately grabbed Adam’s hand in a tight grip so his shot went high and wild, slicing through the leafy canopy. “Let them go! They won’t tell anyone where they brought us; this _is_ a forbidden place, after all.” Ianto prayed that was enough to stop Adam from killing either of their remaining guides, or anyone else for that matter.  

The menacing look Adam cast at the hand he had on his arm sent shivers up and down Ianto’s spine; he knew that Adam was a very dangerous man. The last four archaeologists and treasure hunters that had failed him in his pursuit of wealth and renown had mysteriously never been seen again and anyone who dared to lay a finger on him lost that hand. Smiling his most disarming and friendliest smile Ianto casually removed his hand from Adam’s arm and turned on the charm, “We don’t need them.”

A distasteful look twisted Adam’s face and Grey watched the confrontation with concern in his eyes as his lover spat out, “I do _not_ carry supplies.”

As much as Ianto hated what he was about to suggest, he knew that he had no choice, “Then we’ll leave them. Once we’ve got what we came for, we’ll be able to reach the plane by dusk,” Ianto declared with a shrug of his shoulders before turning back to the trail.

As Grey got the two remaining Amadeus to follow Ianto, the two lovers shared a silent conversation during which Adam slipped out the knife he always carried and pointed at Ianto’s back before making a slicing motion across his throat.

Grey shook his head as he hissed at him, “Be patient, you idiot, we still need him to get the treasure.”

Scowling petulantly but knowing his lover was right Adam put the knife away. _‘Once your usefulness has run out, Jones, I will take great joy in slitting your throat,’_ Adam vowed silently at Ianto’s back.

Trusting his instincts, Ianto discreetly checked to make sure that his sonic blaster was still tucked safely away and then he steeled his shoulders; he knew the odds of them all getting out alive were slim to none and getting lower every second.

The small party fanned out to fight their way through the entwined trees that had become the silent guardians of the temple. Visibility had been cut due to heavy mist but Ianto made sure to keep Grey and Adam in his line of sight, he was not going to give either man a chance to knife him in the back.

Grey, for the moment at least, had no desire to kill Ianto; he had bigger problems to worry about. His attention had been drawn to a nasty-looking handmade dart sticking out from the middle of a tree trunk. Using extreme care, he extracted it and examined the point gingerly, making sure that none of his skin came in contact with the tip. “The Tarqin are near. This poison is still fresh... three days, maybe less. I’m telling you, they’re following us!” Grey snapped out. He flushed as he heard the tinge of fear in his voice, but there was no way to hide the fact that the native tribe terrified him.

The Tarqin were the last sentient life forms on Daddario, but instead of evolving they had slipped back into the primitive ways of their ancestors. They lived in small, tightly-knit family-based clans in mud and bamboo huts that hung from overhead tree limbs to protect them from predators; they hunted for food in the jungle using poison darts and razor-sharp stone-tipped spears.

“Get a grip! If they knew we were here, they would have killed us already,” Ianto shot back. The Tarqin were well-known for their dislike of trespassers and anyone caught on their land was dead before they knew what hit them. Rumours persisted that the Tarqin often ate their victims in grisly victory ceremonies.

The last two remaining Amadeus were growing all the more nervous and if Ianto wasn’t mistaken, they were slowly becoming hysterical, which did nothing to help calm down Adam’s nerves. Ianto noted that his eyes were darting rapidly in every direction both Adam and Grey had begun to sweat profusely. When Adam finally screamed at the Amadeus in near hysteria “to shut the fuck up!” Ianto knew that the situation had suddenly become much more dangerous.

Overwhelmed by the ranting man one of the Amadeus moved sideways, closer to the undergrowth in an effort to get away from Adam. He was weighing his options for escape when a slithering movement caught his attention; cautiously he pulled back the branch that was blocking his view. His eyes went comically wide and he felt blood-curdling horror fill him as he found himself face-to-face with a stone sculpture of a Chachapoyan demon. Unable to scream, he did the only thing he could think of, he turned tail and ran away silently into the jungle they had just left.

After getting no response when he out to called his friend, the last Amadeus allowed his curiosity get the better of him and he looked into the foliage where his friend had looked. A similar look of horror appeared on his face before he spun around and took off after his friend, never to return.

Unaware of the fact that their last remaining guides had abandoned them, Ianto, Adam and Grey had finally cleared the dense trees and stepped into a small clearing where they found themselves standing in front of the temple. It was dark, mysterious and awesome; vegetation had curled around every crevice and over each elaborate frieze. But it was the entrance that had their jaws dropping: round, open and black, it had been designed to look like the gaping maw of open jaws.

Glancing around a distasteful but sad look appeared on Ianto’s face. “So this is where Lisa cashed in.” He thought it eerie to be standing in the last place anyone had ever heard of Lisa Hallett.

Grey blinked owlishly as he asked, “A friend of yours or maybe even an old lover?”

Ianto shook his head. “No, a competitor and a good one, very good.” It made him wonder, _‘if Lisa_ _fell_ _into a trap what_ _does_ _that say about_ _our_ _chances?’_

It was clear that Adam was beginning to think the same thing, as his eyes darted about nervously. He wasn’t given to having second thoughts about an exploration, but then again, he’d never been anywhere that was as menacing as the Anevian temple. “No one has ever come out of there alive. Why should we put our faith in you?”

Not bothering to answer such a stupid question, Ianto reached up and took the weird feather from the band of his hat, ignoring Adam and Grey as they came closer to watch transfixed as from within its point he slipped a tightly rolled piece of parchment from it. A disgusted albeit excited look passed between the two lovers; the piece of the map they had been looking for had been right in front of them the whole time. Silently they joined Ianto who was kneeling in the dirt and spreading out the delicate parchment, which turned out to be one-half of a crudely-drawn floor plan of the temple.

"No one ever had what we have... _partners_." Calling the two disreputable and unscrupulous men his partners left a nasty taste in Ianto's mouth, and he tried to ignore the flash of guilt that appeared in Grey’s eyes before he fixed them with an expectant stare. His body language was clearly shouting, “Well, I’m waiting!”

At Adam's curt nod of permission, Grey produced a similar, but carefully folded, piece of parchment, opening it to reveal the other half of the floor plan. With his heart pounding fiercely in his chest, Ianto carefully matched up both pieces and then studied them for a moment. Then, satisfied that he understood what he was seeing, Ianto grinned at the two men before standing and walking towards the temple.

Adam's eyes shone with deadly excitement as they darted from the floor plan and Grey to Ianto and the temple.

With his back towards his fellow explorers and erstwhile partners, Ianto pointed to his left and began speaking animatedly, "Assuming that pillar there marks the corner and..."

Seeing the perfect opportunity to rid himself of his detested pest Adam jumped to his feet, quietly drew out his sonic blaster and raised it towards Ianto just as Grey realised with great alarm what his lover was going to do and tried to stop him.

But it was too late.

Ianto had turned his head to see what was taking them so long to join him and he saw the weapon in Adam's outstretched hand. What he did next the other two men could only agree was amazingly graceful and fast, yet totally unhurried. Ianto slid his right hand up and under the back of his leather jacket and it emerged a split second later grasping the handle of a neatly curled bullwhip. With the same fluidity of movement Ianto spun his body around to face Adam head-on and the whip uncoiled to its full ten-foot length, lashing out faster than the human eye could track.

The fall of the whip wrapped itself around Adam's hand and blaster, effectively stopping Adam in place; he couldn’t drop the gun now even if he wanted to. With a short, sharp pull Ianto jerked Adam's arm down where it involuntarily discharged the blaster into the ground.

Adam’s eyes narrowed dangerously and an ugly scowl turned his handsome face into a grotesque mask of evil. He hated the fact that he was impressed with Ianto's ‘rather theatrical move,’ but that feeling quickly faded as he detected a slight amount of slack in the whip and he immediately took advantage of it by raising his blaster at Ianto again, using his free hand to cock it.

Ianto's face went hard and then sad as he swept his arm in a wide arc, spinning Adam around so that he was  completely enclosed within the leather coil of the whip with his blaster hand tucked tightly against his body. Ianto gave the whip handle one more swift jerk and Adam's blaster fired. With one final sharp tug Ianto loosened the whip and Adam’s lifeless form fell to the ground with a thud.

For a moment the only sound to be heard was a shrill muted scream as Grey gazed upon his lover’s dead body. Even the shrieks and calls of the myriad birds and wildlife in the jungle were quiet, as though shocked by Adam’s traitorous actions.

When Ianto's attention turned to him Grey quickly dropped to his knees in the dirt and threw his arms over his head in surrender. "I knew nothing! He was crazy! Please, you have to believe me!" The man was trembling like a leaf and there was the very real possibility that he was going to lose control of his bladder as he desperately prayed that Ianto would believe him.

Ianto gave him one good looking over and he decided that the abject fear in Grey’s eyes could not be faked and with an abrupt nod Ianto decided the man’s fate.

"Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After taking both Adam’s blaster and knife, Ianto retrieved both halves of the map and carefully tucked them away and then, with Grey carrying their light source, they moved from the main entrance into one of the many passages. They were both thankful for the steady illumination of the LED light as the temple’s interior was wet and dark, its ceiling heavily hung with plant life and stalactites. Once in a while their echoing footsteps would intermittently overpower the ever-present sounds of loudly dripping water, whistling air drafts and frantically scampering claws.

Following the map in his mind, Ianto led the way down a twisting hallway, with Grey's lamp barely lighting his way from behind. Having lost his way after all the twists and turns they’d taken, Grey stayed rooted in his spot as Ianto disappeared into the shadows and when he reappeared a moment later, Grey found that he couldn't speak as he noticed the huge black tarantula crawling up the back of his jacket.

Ianto didn't seem to notice and quickly disappeared into another shadowy alcove, this time when he emerged there were two more tarantulas on his back. This time Grey managed to make a frightened grunting sound and aim a shaking finger at Ianto. Blinking with curiosity, Ianto looked at him and then his gaze followed to where Grey was pointing; completely unfazed by what he saw, he casually brushed all three spiders off with his rolled whip as if they were nothing but pesky flies.

Suddenly sure that he was simply crawling with the hairy creatures Grey began dancing in place. "Check me, please?" he begged frantically as he turned to give Ianto his back. Terrified of spiders ever since he was a child, he didn't want any of the eight-legged demons crawling on him

Working hard to keep a straight face, Ianto easily brushed the one very small spider off of Grey's back. “Nothing there, mate, just a few cobwebs,” he offered comfortingly. The last thing he needed was a panic-stricken Grey running off into the darkness, taking with him their only source of light.

As they cautiously made their way through the temple, Ianto began picking up little pocket-sized artifacts from the niches and ledges along the corridors. Ianto's collecting method was quickly and expertly done; years of practice enabled him to evaluate the pieces in an instant, discarding some, stuffing others into his clothes and through it all he never stopped his forward progress.

They finally reached what was inscribed on the map as the Chamber of Light. It started out as a small chamber just ahead of them which interrupted the hall and was brightly lit by a shaft of sunlight from high above. Ianto stopped and looked it over carefully.

"What's wrong? Are you lost?" Grey asked in a disbelieving tone.

Instead of answering him Ianto picked up a nearby stick, tossed it through the shaft of light, and watched it clatter to the ground eight yards away. Immediately giant spiked claws sprang up from the sides of the chamber and came together in the center of the light making a ferocious clang. To their horror, they saw the remains of an African woman impaled on the spikes, her corpse a mangled mess of half-decayed flesh and half-exposed skeleton. Ianto reached out and took a hold of the woman and gently removed her body from the spikes just as they started to retract.

"Lisa," Ianto said sadly. As he thought back to the last time he’d seen her alive, he didn’t notice that Grey had turned away and was vomiting into the dust.

“Oh, Lisa, what happened to you? I thought you were smarter than this.”

Turning back to the gruesome sight, Grey swiped a hand across his mouth and gulped deeply. "We can go no further."

With a quick roll of his eyes, Ianto shook his head. "Now, Grey, we don't want to be discouraged by every little thing, do we?" and with that Ianto stepped sideways into the chamber. Pressing his back tightly against the very points of the retracted spikes, he carefully moved along the edge of the light beam, being very, very careful not to let any part of him break the circle, until finally he stepped clear on the other side.

Grimacing Grey followed after Ianto, sweating his way through every step; when he came out safely he didn’t think before throwing his arms around Ianto in a moment of life-affirming madness.

Encouraged by surviving such a deadly trap, Ianto and Grey walked cautiously yet optimistically down a long flight of stone stairs to a tight landing. Framing the entry was a carefully strung network of dead vines, each somehow hooked into the wall, narrowing the opening even more. "Let me see that." Ianto took the light from Grey's hand.

Ianto lowered the light to the floor of the landing, which was carpeted with dozens of human skeletons, one on top of another, all squashed flat as cardboard. Grey gasped in fear as Ianto looked up at the ceiling speculatively, then he carefully stepped onto the skeletons which made a grotesque crunching, cracking noise under his feet.

Gray turned away and dry-heaved as cold sweat rolled down his back.

"Try not to touch the vines," Ianto called out helpfully over his shoulder.

They followed the path that led them to a high-ceilinged, straight hallway that was about fifty feet long; at the end stood a massive wooden door glowing in a flood of sunlight.

"I think we’re very close!" Pure glee could be heard in Grey's voice, but when Ianto stood still just looking at the wall he pushed him somewhat impatiently and growled, "Let’s hurry, there’s nothing to fear here."

"That's what scares me," Ianto admitted with a small, nervous smile before taking his first step with Grey quickly following after him.

The pathway widened enough that they were able to walk down the hall side by side for a little while until Grey let his eagerness get the better of him. Tired of Ianto’s careful tread and slow pace, he pushed ahead but just as he placed his foot down the floor crumbled beneath him. As he began to pitch forward, Ianto was able to react swiftly enough to grab him by his belt and pull him back from certain death at the bottom of the abyss. Together they both looked down at the 'floor'.

Pulling out his whip Ianto swung it across the floor with a reverberating crack, its ten foot length cutting open the surface beneath the impact of the lash, the dirt falling away to reveal a black pit as wide as the hall. The floor was nothing more than an illusion made of dust-covered cobwebs. Wanting to know exactly what they were dealing with Grey picked up a stone and tossed it down into the pit. They listened intently but when they heard no sound the two men exchanged a worried look.

Ignoring Grey, who had suck to the ground with a frightened whimper, Ianto found his gaze drifting up towards the high roof of the hall. _'It's crazy but it just might work,'_ the Welshman thought to himself as he swung his whip up and around a support beam. With a firm tug to test the beam’s strength, Ianto took a deep breath, offered a quick prayer to the universe, and then he gripped the handle and swung over the pit. When he landed safely on the other side he let out a whoop of joy before nodding to Grey and swinging the whip back to him. It took two tries, but once Grey managed to catch it, he tossed the light over to Ianto, knowing that he couldn’t carry it and hold onto the whip with both hands. He wasn’t worried about dropping the light, no, he didn’t want to lose his grip on the whip and fall to his death.

Once they were both standing on solid ground again, there was a moment of quiet in which they heard, from far, far below them, a splash; it would seem their stone had finally reached the bottom of the pit. As much as Ianto wanted to take his whip with him, he instead wedged the handle into the wall and left it strung to the beam, one never knew when they might have to make a quick retreat. Several paces later, they were standing directly in front of their next obstacle, the doors.

It took the combined strength of Ianto and Grey to push the huge wood doors open and even then it was still difficult, but their efforts were well worth it. Before them was a large, domed room illuminated by ten evenly-spaced skylights that sent their shafts of sunlight down to an uniquely tiled floor of white and black tiles laid out in a lovely, intricate pattern. Ianto and Grey stood in the doorway just taking in the sight until their gaze fell upon the altar at the head of the wide room. There, in the supreme hallowed spot atop a simple marble plinth, was the treasure they sought, a tiny jewelled figurine.

Ianto was amazed to see two torches, centuries old, in holders by the door, and knowing that they must serve some kind of purpose Ianto carefully took one and examined it. Nodding resolutely, he reached into an inner jacket pocket and pulled out the ancient lighter he’d found on his very first and which he considered his good luck charm, never going on an expedition without it. With a quick flick of his wrist, he lit it and set it to the head of the torch and was rewarded by the torch blazing to life. He handed the LED light they had been using back to Grey.

Grey took the proffered light, tucked it away and then looked around them with a frown. “There is plenty of light,” he pointed out.

Ianto paid no attention to Grey as he knelt down and surveyed the pattern of the tiled floor before reaching out and using the solid metal end of the torch to tap a white tile. Satisfied that it was solid, he then tapped a black tile and immediately there was an angry whizzing sound and a tiny dart was suddenly stuck in to the torch.

“There,” Grey cried out and pointing to a nearby wall he showed Ianto that there was a small recessed hole hidden in the intricate carving. “It came from that hole!”

Ianto nodded and as he stood his eyes darted about the walls of the sanctuary, quickly realising that the entire room was honey-combed with the same kind of hole all cleverly disguised by the carved patterns. Grey followed Ianto’s gaze and he also noticed the many dart holes; he couldn’t help but be a little impressed with the designers of this trap. _‘I wish Adam could have seen this,’_ he reflected sadly. _‘I wish you hadn’t been so stupid, my love. We could have easily fed him to one of the traps or better yet, pushed him into that last pit! I wonder how long it would take for a body to hit the bottom.’_

Sensing an odd change in his companion’s demeanour, Ianto turn his head and cast a calculating glance at Grey. “You wait here,” he instructed. Not only would it have been too difficult for two men to successfully navigate the tricky path across the floor, but he suddenly didn’t trust Grey to not ‘accidentally’ knock him into the path of the undoubtedly poison-tipped darts.

So relieved that he went weak in the knees, Grey didn’t see a problem with that. “If you insist,” shrugged casually, as if he couldn’t care one whit what he did.

With the brightly burning torch in hand, Ianto slowly began his careful walk across the sanctuary, making very sure to step only on the white tiles; to Grey he almost appeared to be doing the graceful moves of an ancient martial arts kata. Before each well-thought out move Ianto made sure to stretch his arm out in front of him and then wave the torch from head to toe, his eyes glued to the flame looking for any flutter in its brilliance. Halfway to the altar, Ianto noticed something on the floor and when he reached it two steps later, he knelt down to look at it. There in the center of a white tile was a dead bird; its small body was riddled with little deadly darts. “I’m sorry, you poor thing, you deserved better,” Ianto whispered softly and then he offered up a prayer to the universe for the bird’s soul. He felt badly that a beautiful creature of nature had blundered into such an ugly example of mankind, but it also stood to warn Ianto that he must proceed with even more caution than ever before.

Lifting his hand he again waved the torch ahead of him and this time, right at waist height, an air current whipped at the flame. With a grim smile, Ianto ducked, making sure he passed under the stream; he was so low to the ground that the torch left an ugly burn mark on the pristine white tile beneath it.

Back at his safe landing Grey watched with wide eyes, mystified by Ianto’s bizarre action.

Grateful beyond measure that he’d survived the treacherous crossing, Ianto heaved a sigh of relief when he reached the altar and he was rewarded for his tenacity with his first look at the tiny idol that looked both fierce and beautiful. It rested on a pedestal of polished stone, and Ianto made sure to look the whole set-up over very carefully his eyes and brain making multiple calculations and drawing numerous conclusions. Finally, he reached into his jacket, into yet another seemingly bottomless pocket, and removed a small, canvas drawstring bag.

After stabbing the base of the torch into the ground to hold it upright, he began filling the pouch with dirt from around the base of the altar, being careful not to jostle the pedestal, just in case. When he had created a weight that he thought was approximately that of the idol, he closed his eyes and slowly bounced it a couple of times in his palm, concentrating on the heft of it in his hand. With a frown, Ianto opened the bag and pulled out three pinches of sand and then checked the weight again before nodding with satisfaction. 

There were only two things on Ianto’s mind at the moment; first of all, he was only going to get one chance at the swap, and secondly, he knew he had to make the exchange as smoothly as possible. Taking a step forward he reached out but his hands hovered for a moment as he quieted his mind and then, taking a deep breath, Ianto slowly let it escape in a steady stream from between his lips and made his shoulders muscles relax. Putting the pouch of sand as close to the figurine as he could without knocking into it, Ianto very carefully lifted up the golden statue in one hand while quickly replacing it with a the weighted bag of sand.

Amazed that his scheme had worked, Ianto didn’t dare to breathe as he looked back and forth between the idol in his hand and the bag on the pedestal. He was thrilled beyond belief that his ploy had worked and for a moment he stared at the bag just sitting there and a smile started creeping across his lips. Then, to Ianto’s horror, the polished stone beneath the bag abruptly dropped five inches, setting off a chain reaction of underground movement and reverberating sound that steadily increased in volume as a huge mysterious mechanism rumbled into action deep within the temple.

Pretty sure he knew what was going to happen next, Ianto didn’t dare wait another second as he spun around and started his delicate kata back across the sanctuary at four times the speed he first crossed.

Just as Ianto reached the safety of the wooden doors, a rock shook loose from the wall and rolled onto the tiled floor; it bounced on one white tile, then another and a third and then, as Ianto held his breath, the rock landed on a black square. The result was immediate and deadly as a noisy torrent of poison darts filled the room like a veritable cloud of angry killer bees.

Running from the room Ianto could see Grey just ahead of him already using the whip to swing across the chasm and to Ianto’s deep dismay the whip came undone from the beam just as Grey landed safely, although he did stumble to his knees. The whip curls in the dust at Grey’s feet, leaving Ianto stranded with no options for escape available to him.

Grey, who was extremely nervous, regarded the whip and then Ianto who was waiting anxiously on the far side of the pit. Grey’s eyes narrowed and a cruel smile twisted his lips; looking expectantly at Ianto he said, “No time to argue, throw me the idol and I’ll throw you the whip.”

Ianto knew the odds were not in his favour and that the chances of Grey actually keeping his word were slim to none but still he hesitated and eyed the crumbling walls around him.

Grey held out his hand. “You have no choice!” he called out mockingly, knowing full-well that he had Ianto against the wall. “Hurry!” 

Sighing Ianto rolled his eyes, knowing he had no choice but to cooperate and tossed the idol across the pit to Grey, who caught it easily. He watched as the other man took the time to look the statue over and then kiss its golden face before stuffing it into the front pocket of his jacket. Giving Ianto a look of absolute triumph dropped the whip to the floor; “Ooops!” He shrugged; “well, at least I tried, yeah?” and as he ran off he tossed back over his shoulder, “Sorry, mate!”

Ianto grimaced and cursed himself for being such a fool; he’d had a feeling that this might happen; he began looking around for another way out. _‘This is just great, how do I always get myself into these kinds of mess?’_

******

Moving swiftly, Grey had managed to reach the vine landing, using his skills he flew though the obstacle like a ballet dancer and took the steps five at a time. _‘Sorry, Mr Jones, but it’s every man for himself.’_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Having backed into the main sanctuary as far as he dared, Ianto took a deep breath and then ran full stride to the edge of the pit and hurled himself across the space in a spectacular broad jump. Unfortunately, despite his desperate albeit impressive attempt, he didn’t make it; his body hit the far side of the pit at mid-chest level and he began to slide out of view. Digging the toes of his sturdy boots into the wall Ianto clawed wildly at the lip of the pit in a frantic bid to stop his descent, and then with just the tips of his fingers remaining over the edge he began to slowly pull himself up from the very brink of disaster.

******

At the chamber of light, Grey paused to catch his breath; the adrenaline surge from besting the great Ianto Jones was beginning to wear off but with the other man stranded on the far side of a nearly bottomless abyss he had the luxury of slowing down. Pulling the figurine from his pocket, he looked it over in the light of the sun; it was truly stunning and surprisingly heavy for such a small piece, “But then, you’re all gold, aren’t you!” Grey planted a loud smacking kiss on the statue’s face and tucked it back into his pocket before he began to edge carefully around the light; he wasn’t worried about Ianto catching up to him. “There is no _way_ Jones can get across that pit!”

******

Reaching the vine landing Ianto sailed through sideways and rolled to stop at the bottom of the steps with his beloved whip is grasped firmly in his hand. He’s not far behind Grey now and as he raised himself up the young Welshman heard a familiar rumbling from above him. He knew instantly that it was the giant spikes in the chamber of light, and as he held his breath, hoping for the best, there was a deafening clang and an abrupt, sickening rendition of Grey’s last strangled scream. Ianto sighed, thankful that he hadn’t witnessed the man’s grisly demise, and ran up the steps as the rumbling sound grew louder.

As he stepped into the chamber of light, Ianto slid to an abrupt stop, taking in the scene before him; the spikes had retracted, taking Grey’s body with them so that he dangled lifelessly to one side. Studiously keeping his eyes on the position of his feet and his body, Ianto edged into the chamber with his back to the shaft of light and he soon found himself standing face-to-face with the dead Grey. Deliberately looking everywhere but his face, Ianto saw that the heavy iron spikes were protruding from several vital spots in the man’s body.

Taking care not to let his butt break the circle of light, Ianto bent down and easily removed the golden idol from Grey’s pocket, slipped it into his own and then moved quickly out the other side of the chamber.

“Adios,” Ianto called out with a jaunty wave over his shoulder.

*****

_‘I’m almost there!’_ Ianto thought happily as he found his way back to the cut-off hallway and turned toward the exit; he finally took the time to look around, trying to figure out where the persistent and very loud rumbling sound was coming from. If he let his imagination run away with him, he’d have sworn that it was actually following him and when Ianto glanced over his shoulder he saw to his horror – and his imagination’s satisfaction –a huge boulder coming his way. Its creators had made sure that it was perfectly form-fitting to the passageway and as it roared around the corner of the corridor, it thoroughly obliterated everything before it, sending the overhead stalactites shooting ahead like missiles.

“Seriously, a giant boulder? Who uses giant rocks anymore?” Ianto demanded with extreme irritation as he dashed for the light of the exit; his hat flew off his head and was almost immediately crushed by the boulder but he had no time to mourn its loss. Ianto put every last ounce of strength and speed he had into his dive out the end of the passage and as he executed a perfect shoulder roll to safety, the boulder slammed to a stop just inches from his him. It was so well crafted that it created a perfect fit at the entrance, forever sealing the temple and its remaining treasures from interlopers and thieves.

“I’m going to miss my hat,” Ianto muttered morosely as he lay on the ground gasping for air, “but at least I have what I came for,” and he patted his pocket, taking some small comfort in the hard shape beneath his hand. Suddenly a shadow fell across him and he looked up, immediately wishing he hadn’t.

Looming above him were three distinctive figures; two were Tarqin warriors in full battle paint, wearing traditional loin cloths and carrying long blow guns. But it was the man in the center with the mocking smirk on his narrow, rodent-like face who drew Ianto’s attention; in an attempt to make himself look impressive despite his smaller stature, he was dressed in a full safari outfit including a classic pith helmet. The man was Owen Harper and beyond him and his two escorts Ianto could see at least thirty more Tarqin warriors hovering at the edge of the trees.

“Dr Jones, once again you chose the wrong friends and this time it will cost you dearly,” Owen smoothly informed him as he held out his hand and waggled his fingers imperiously.

Ianto looked at it and then with a sigh he produced the idol and handed it to Owen. Owen smiled and crooked an eyebrow before extending his other hand; with a distasteful look on his face Ianto reluctantly surrendered the sonic blaster he’d removed from Adam’s body hours earlier and watched while Owen stuck it in his jacket. “And here you were thinking I’d given up,” he shook his head. “Maybe you should go back to doing what you’re good at, like serving your betters, Tea-Boy.”

Ianto fought the growing urge to throttle Owen as he eyed the Tarqin. “It’s too bad they don’t know you like I do, Owen,” he snarled contemptuously at the sarcastic thief.

Owen’s smile was pure wickedness. “Yes, too bad. You _could_ warn them, if only you spoke Tarqin.” With that Owen turned dramatically and held the golden idol high above his head for all the Tarqin to see. When he had every man’s attention, he said something in rapid-fire Tarqin that spurred such immediate recognition that all the warriors, including Owen’s personal escorts, dropped to their knees and bowed so low that their foreheads touched the ground.

Ianto was no fool and he instantly recognised that he’d just been given his one and only chance to live; he leapt to his feet and bolted towards the edge of the clearing praying that he didn’t trip over anything on the way.

Whirling around, Owen saw that Ianto was nearly ten yards away already and moving fast; “Kill him!” he snarled in Tarqin.

Reaching the edge of the clearing Ianto disappeared into the dense foliage of the jungle and an instant later, the leaves behind him were peppered with a rain of poison darts and spears.

******

Ianto ran like hell through the steadily falling terrain, even though his body ached, his legs were rubbery and his lungs burned if he slowed down even for a moment it would mean his death. Right behind him were the rapidly gaining and clearly angry Tarqin, whose darts and spears continually whizzed past his head; one even cut a groove in the sleeve of his leather jacket. _‘Please let John be at the meeting place!’_ Ianto never thought he would pray something like that where John was concerned, but with bloodthirsty, cannibalistic warriors chasing him he would gladly choose the lesser of two evils.

"Where the hell is Eye-Candy?" John Hart asked as he shielded his eyes against the glaring sun and tapped his foot against the side of his shuttle. He’d been resting comfortably in its open door as it floated in the river, but now he was bored and anxious to get back to civilisation. Ianto had refused to allow him any alcohol onboard the shuttle, which just made the waiting even worse; the young man was lucky that he was so hot otherwise there was no way John would have been there at all.

Breaking out of the distant brush Ianto felt a surge of hope filling and giving him an extra spurt of strength; as he ran across the cliff he spotted John standing in the door of their shuttle. "Get it going! Get it going!" Ianto yelled as loudly as he could.

John raised an admiring eyebrow as he watched Ianto's running form, but of course once he caught sight of the angry Tarqin warriors gaining ground behind Ianto, he couldn't move fast enough to get into the shuttle and start the engines. Looking out the forward window, John saw Ianto reach a spot on the cliff above the shuttle; John held his breath as Ianto glanced back to see a Tarqin warrior just a foot away from him with his spear raised and ready to strike, and then he took a big leap and threw himself into the river. After swimming underwater for as long as he could, Ianto surfaced, swam up to the shuttle and quickly climbed inside.

John raised an amused eyebrow as Ianto secured the hatch and dropped down into the co-pilot’s seat. "What trouble have you gotten into now?" He looked at Ianto’s dripping and bedraggled form and chuckled. “You have looked better.”

Ianto shook his head. "No time to discuss this now, just go!"

John shrugged and took off as instructed, launching the shuttle into the sky. Ianto happily dropped the back of co-pilot's seat and relaxed, ever so grateful for the opportunity to lie on its soft, nearly flat surface and stretch out his aching body; _‘I remember when sleeping rough was fun; I wonder if this means I’m getting old?’_ He could feel sleep creeping up on him and he sighed deeply and relaxed even more; one of his hands dropped from his lap down onto the cabin floor only to land not on solid metal grating but on something soft… that moved!

“What the hell!?” Startled by the unexpected encounter Ianto jumped to his feet forgetting where he was and knocking his skull smartly into the ship’s bulkhead. As he rubbed the growing lump on the back of his head he looked down and there on the floor of the cabin was a huge boa constrictor. Ianto made a distasteful face as he sat down again, pulled his feet up under him and tried to fold his entire body up on his seat. “John?”

There was distinctly naughty mirth shining in John's eyes as he glanced over at Ianto. "Don't mind her, that's Fifi. She wouldn't hurt a soul." He let his hand fall down to caress the reptile as she slithered slowly around the base of his seat.

Ianto shuddered with revulsion. "I can't stand snakes!"

John raised an eyebrow. "You do know that many planets have some form of snakes on them, right?”

Ianto shook his head in dismay. "I know, but I still hate them."

A sharp bark of laughter escaped John's lips. "Come on, Eye-Candy, show a little old backbone."

Ianto gritted his teeth. "Do _not_ call me Eye-Candy." He hated that blasted nickname with a passion and he suspected that the main reason John used it was because it guaranteed a rise of Ianto’s temper.

"Well…” John's smile was positively evil. “…this _is_ my ship and I'll call you what I want, unless you want to hitchhike from the nearest run-down outpost, although,” he paused and looked Ianto over with a suggestive leer, “I'm sure with your looks someone will pick you up."

Knowing that for now he was going to have to put up it the hated nickname Ianto growled something unintelligible under his breath and instead focused his attention on the beautiful scenery of the stars, like an old and faithful friend, they always calmed him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_New Earth, New Wales, New Cardiff_

Autumn in New Cardiff had always been Ianto's favourite time of year, he loved watching the leaves change their colour, and Ianto had a perfect view of the courtyard from his office. Looking out, he could see several students wandering about the college; while school was not yet back in session some of the students had still chosen to return earlier.

Taking one last look out the window, Ianto returned his attention to the shelves of one of his numerous and well-filled bookcases. Gone were his sturdy and functional adventuring clothes and in their place he wore an immaculate and well-tailored suit that highlighted some of his best assets; it had been a gift from someone very dear. Pulling out his glasses from his pocket, he located the book he had been looking for and carefully pulled it from its place. He knew that books were very old-fashioned but to Ianto there was nothing better than the feeling of touching real paper and feeling the weight of the books in his hands.

Of all the artefacts that he’d gathered during his years of exploring and excavating, the books that he recovered were his greatest personal treasures. The antiquities, gold, jewels and other valuable items that he recovered went to museums and universities, but the books were all his. Each one was individual, written in different languages, many of which were now dead, and bound in a variety of materials. Ianto was proud of the fact that he’d read each and every one of his books, although for quite a few of them he’d had to use translator programs.

Ianto Jones, Professor of Archaeology and Ancient Civilisations and an extremely popular lecturer, concentrated on the pages of his book, trying to ignore the growing mess that was slowly overtaking his office, all thanks to the one man who had just arrived unannounced and then proceeded to commandeer his desk.

John 'Doctor' Smith, the Curator of the National Museum in New London, was happily examining the numerous small artifacts that Ianto had pocketed on his last adventure. He occasionally used his spectacles to get a closer look at an item’s details, but Ianto could tell that the Doctor was distracted by something else, Ianto knew his mentor and friend all too well.

"Do you think the idol will ever show up?" John finally asked the question that was burning in his mind.

“That’s a good question,” Ianto shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know. Just because Owen had it, it didn't mean that he kept it." Snapping his book closed and replacing it on the shelf he took off his glasses and focused on John, trying his hardest to ignore the pair of raggedy green trainers propped up on his nice clean desk. He completely failed to notice when two pretty co-eds paused at his office window to get a good look at the school's hottest teacher. The main reason at least half the female student body chose to study Archaeology was to stare at Professor Ianto Jones; they’d been known to leave small gifts on his desk, to slip love notes into his pockets and to flirt unabashedly during office hours. Ianto Jones was on campus; this was must-know, must-spread gossip, and in a very short time, this section of the courtyard and the hallway outside Ianto’s office was going to become very busy, very shortly.

With a quick smile and wave at the now crowd of five girls outside the window, John shook his head wondering how someone who knew so much and was so intelligent could be so blind; of course he knew _why_ his young protégée suffered from a lack of confidence where matters of romance were concerned and while John really wanted to hate Jack Harkness for breaking Ianto's heart he couldn't, not when he knew how much Jack was suffering as well.

Paying no attention to the feminine giggling and whispering coming from outside his office Ianto continued speaking, "Getting it away from those Tarqin warriors would be a neat trick," and a hard look entered his normally peaceful blue eyes, "I hope they got him good."

Before the Doctor could say anything there was a rapid tap on the door before it opened and a pretty young blond woman pushed her way in with an armload of reference texts, and Ianto quickly helped her find a spot for them.

"I couldn't get any of River Song's texts, Professor; someone has already got them all checked out till next month when classes start." Rose Tyler, Ianto's teaching assistant, informed him, smiling shyly when she saw that John was smiling brightly at her.

Ianto fought the urge to roll his eyes; oh how he wished those two would just stop dancing around the obvious and act on their feelings for one another. "That's all right, Rose, thank you for getting these."

Rose favoured Ianto with a bright smile. "You're welcome, I’ll keep checking back periodically, just in case the books are returned early, okay? Is there anything else you need?" She hoped to stay a little longer, maybe even work up the courage to speak to John.

Ianto shook his head, while he adored Rose it was for her own safety that she remained ignorant about some of the treasures he went after. He had powerful enemies who wouldn't hesitate to use Rose against him, so the less she knew the safer it was for her. "No, that's all, Rose. I'll see you on Thursday; you go and enjoy your time off, you've more than earned it." He made sure to flash her his sweetest smile.

Rose pouted, she hated it when Ianto gave her _that_ smile, it got her every time and there was just no way to say no to him. "All right, then, I'll see you on Thursday; don't you two work too hard now."

Ianto waited until Rose was gone and the door was closed before turning his attention back to John who was scowling deeply as he examined the last of the artifacts. "Hey, if you don't like them, I can always return them," he jokingly pointed out to his old friend.

The humour flew over John’s head at super-sonic speed and his scowl deepened. "No, no, they are beyond beautiful; I have no doubt that the museum will buy them as they usually do. No questions asked."

Ianto's eyes narrowed as he studied his friend, the man was definitely keeping something from him. "Then what's wrong?"

A sigh escaped John's lips; he knew Ianto wasn't going to like what he had to say next. "I brought along some people today."

Ianto stiffened with immediate suspicion. "What kind of people?" he growled out.

"Government." There was an element of shame in John’s voice; he knew they were Ianto's least favourite people.

“Government people?” Concerned Ianto shifted his gaze to the artifacts. "You brought the Government to my office? Are you insane?" He started cataloguing all the items that might be of questionable provenance.

John waved his hand dismissively. “Oh stop worrying; it's not about your business. They're from UNIT."

"I've already served." Ianto bit out the words with extreme distaste; those were memories he’d rather not revisit for a very long time.

John nodded his head with understanding; he’d heard all about Ianto’s ghosts but he also knew that what they were looking for would be very interesting to Ianto. "It’s UNIT Intelligence, Ianto; they're looking for Harold."

In that very moment Ianto completely forgot how to breathe.

******

Not wanting government representatives no matter what branch they came from in his office, the only other room that Ianto could think of meeting the UNIT men in was his lecture hall. Leaning nonchalantly against his desk Ianto studied the two men standing before him, Colonel Mace and the only UNIT member that either the Doctor or Ianto liked, Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart. He’d known Ianto since the day he was born; he’d been the one to introduce Ianto’s parents to one another.

Colonel Mace studied Ianto intently. "But you did study under Professor Saxon at the University of New Wales?"

Ianto couldn't say that he did just a little more than study with Harold Saxon; their relationship had been short and brief but very passionate. "We haven't spoken in at least ten years. I'm afraid we had a bit of a falling out." That was putting it mildly. The end of his affair with Harold had been quite dramatic and devastating after Ianto had met and fallen deeply in love with the man of his dreams, the love of his life, a man who in return shattered his heart into jagged, irreparable pieces. _'Just like Harold said he would.'_

Alistair studied Ianto with a faint smile on his face. "I figured that, son, but we still have to ask. You really know nothing of his current whereabouts?"

Alistair was one of the few people Ianto couldn't lie to. "Sorry, Alistair, all I have are vague rumours; last I heard he was heading for deep space looking for the Toclafane."

It did not escape either man's notice the disappointed looks that Alistair and Mace exchanged.

"Then Dr Jones is our best hope of trying to make sense of this," Alistair pointed out to his companion.

Mace didn't look convinced but he couldn't go against Alistair if he made it an order. "Well, you must understand, Dr Jones, that the information we’re about to reveal is all strictly confidential." Mace stated. “If need be, we can have you sign the Official Secrets Act.”

"I understand." Ianto was suddenly very curious to know what they had found and how it could possibly involve him.

Mace placed his briefcase on the table and Ianto watched with open interest as he opened it and carefully pulled out what looked to be a very old notebook. It took a moment for Ianto to accept that he was actually seeing the symbol on the front and it had Ianto breathing out a single word, "Gallifrey." Eyes wide as saucers, Ianto looked at the three men. "That says Gallifrey." Now he knew why they needed Harold Saxon; everything Ianto had learned about the Time Lords had come from him. "May I?" he asked Mace looking pointedly at the book.

When Mace glanced over at him for advice Alistair just smiled. "Dr Jones may be one of the few people who can understand what’s written in there."

Ianto tried not to let his excitement show as Mace handed him the notebook and he handled it with pure reverence as if it was a newborn baby, and they watched silently for several minutes as he slowly read the pages and muttered to himself.

"Well, what does it say?" John finally demanded to know when the suspense got too much for him.

Ianto’s eyes were wide and filled with amazement as he looked at them. "It has to do with the Well of Time, the birth place of the TARDIS! This tells where to find it; it's a journal of a Time Lord, of his journeys and struggles. This is the key to everything!"

John couldn't remember the last time he saw Ianto's eyes light up with so much true happiness, well, actually he could and it had been far too long since he seen that look in Ianto's eyes. For the longest time he’d been worried that he would never see it again, he was glad to see his fears were unfounded although he wished it could have been personal business and not professional that put it there.

Alistair knew that there was no way they would be able to stop Ianto from chasing after the Time Lords or their treasure, he also knew that if the legends were true and the TARDIS really could travel through time and space, it would be disastrous for the entire universe if they fell into the wrong hands. He was very grateful that Colonel Mace had agreed with him that coming to Ianto was the best choice. "Dr Jones, you've been very helpful. I hope we can call on you again if we have any questions."

It took all of Ianto's willpower not to smile although he knew that he couldn't fool Alistair for long and that the older man was well aware that he would be going after the TARDIS, with or without UNIT's backing. "Most certainly, sir."

******

Ianto was not at all surprised to find John standing on his doorstep later that night with a familiar manic grin on his face, and the younger man just shook his head with fond resignation as he stepped back and allowed John entry to his home. Neither man said anything until they reached Ianto's study and John was not at all shocked to see Ianto's desk covered with open books, holomaps and drawings, basically _everything_ the man had on Time Lords. Once Ianto close the door John could no longer contain his excitement, "They want you to go for it, Ianto! They want you to find the Well of Time and even better, they'll pay."

A smile graced Ianto's face. "Good work, John, but I have a feeling Alistair also had a hand in arranging all of this and that, of course, the museum will get the TARDIS when we're done."

A bright grin lit up John face, he’d known that Ianto would say that. "Of course."

"Okay, so I can leave first thing in the morning;, I have contacts that can help me find Toshiko and if anyone can help me find the Well of Time it's her." Ianto was looking forward to seeing his oldest female friend again.

"I know a pilot who can get you to wherever you need to go, no questions asked," John offered, "And no, it's not John Hart," he quickly clarified before Ianto could ask.

Relief appeared on Ianto's face. "Anyone has to be better than John Hart; I don't think I could handle being called Eye-Candy for this entire journey."

John knew Ianto was going to kill him when he found out the name of the pilot, but there was only one person in the entire universe that John trusted enough to keep Ianto safe on this journey. He wouldn’t deny that there was just a bit of underhanded match-making going on; maybe was the chance they needed to rebuild their relationship. _'But you better not hurt him again, Jack, or there will be no place to hide in this universe from me.'_ Hiding his triumphant grin, John nodded in agreement;"I'll get in contact with him tonight and tell him where to meet you tomorrow."

"Thank you, John, you have no idea how much your support means to me," Ianto told him and then he gave in to his excitement and grabbed the older man up in a huge bear hug. “This is going to be the most amazing and rewarding trip of my entire life!”

A sliver of guilt entered John's heart. _'Don't thank me just yet. I'm about to reunite you with the person who broke your heart.'_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next morning found Ianto transporting down to the nearest shuttle bay; all John had told him was the name of the ship his ride owned, the Myfanwy, and where to find it. For some reason he’d been awfully tight-lipped about her pilot. _'Just what are you up to, Doctor?'_ Ianto couldn't help the strange sinking feeling deep within his gut.

All thoughts of the mystery around his pilot faded as he finally found the Myfanwy docked between two rather disreputable-looking cargo ships; she was slim and sleek, her metal shone in the light and she was absolutely, "Beautiful!" he breathed out the word lustfully.

"I'm glad you think so."

Ianto stiffened completely and his gut dropped like a rock as a voice he hadn't heard in nearly five years came from behind him, a voice that still haunted his every dream. Taking a deep breath and carefully schooling his expression into one of total blandness, he turned around to face the man he’d given his heart to only to have it shattered into tiny pieces.

Jack Harkness swallowed hard as he stared helplessly at the man he still loved with all that he was and who had so cruelly and thoroughly broken his heart that he’d never even pretended to give to another person. "Hello, Ianto, it's good to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same to you," Ianto shot back viciously.

Jack winced and rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess I deserved that."

"You think?” Crossing his arms over his chest Ianto glared at his ex-lover. “I think there’s a whole lot more you deserve but I'm going to be the bigger person here and walk away from this without starting a fight."

Jack knew he’d hurt Ianto deeply, and he'd spent the intervening five years regretting that he ever let Gwen Cooper get her claws into him. He had been so infatuated with the Welshwoman from the moment they’d met that he hadn't given any thought to how deeply it might hurt when he started sleeping with her while they were dating. He’d planned on coming clean to Ianto when John learned about the affair and had told him, _“either_ _you tell Ianto about your little indiscretion_ _or_ _I will,’_ and he was going to do just that.

But what Jack hadn't counted on – hadn’t even dreamed was possible – was Gwen arranging for Ianto to walk in on them while they were only half-dressed. He had never forgotten the devastated, heartbroken look in Ianto's eyes before he’d silently turned away and walked out of his life. The very next day, while looking for Ianto in hopes of at least apologising to him, Jack had learned that Ianto had taken the Doctor up on his latest deep space archaeology trip and he’d never seen his beloved Welshman again.

Until now. And now there was no way he was going to let him walk away again. “I know about the treasure of the Time Lords, Ianto, that's why John contacted me, because I’m the only one crazy enough to fly you to the places you need to go.”

“What?”

“Well, I _am_ crazy,” Jack quickly reminded him.

Ianto wasn't about to let Jack win, there was no way he could let him get the upper hand. "You know, there is John Hart, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to take care of my _every_ need." Ianto knew he was being cruel but he couldn’t help himself.

The snarl tore itself from his lips before Jack could stop himself, jealousy had reared its ugly head and it was a feeling he only ever got when around Ianto Jones. "I don't think so, Tiger Pants, I happen to know that John has gotten a very generous job offer that will keep him away from New Earth for the next year, so unless you want to wait to find your treasure, I'm your only hope," Jack drawled out his words, pleased to see that his old nickname for Ianto still managed to make the man blush.

Ianto's eyes narrowed with barely concealed anger; he couldn't wait a year, a fact that Jack not only knew but was clearly using to his advantage. "Fine, seeing as you’re my only hope I guess I have no choice but to agree to this idiocy. But let me make one thing perfectly clear, Jack Harkness, this is only a business arrangement, absolutely nothing more," Ianto snapped at him.

Jack couldn't help himself as he smirked cheekily at Ianto and told him, "I’d almost forgotten how beautiful you are with that determined fire blazing in your eyes."

"Jack! I'm serious." Ianto refused to give into the charming Boeshane man, he’d been down that path once before and he knew that it would only end in heartbreak for him.

Jack was not blind to the old pain simmering in Ianto's haunting blue eyes and he hated himself a little more for being the reason it was there. "I'm sorry, Ianto, I really am. I never meant to hurt you and I understand this is strictly business," the ‘for now’ of that statement went unsaid. Jack knew he had screwed up big time when he’d cheated on Ianto with Gwen, but now, miraculously, he had been given a second chance and this time he was determined to do everything in his power to win Ianto back.

"Do you need to tell anyone that you’re leaving?" It hurt Ianto to ask that question but he needed to know whether or not Gwen was still in the picture.

“No,” Jack shook his head and he tried not to notice that a small flicker of hope appeared in Ianto’s eyes; clearly the man was still interested in him if he was asking such a personal question. "There's no one. I ended it with Gwen that same day when I realised what she’d done and I have spent regretting that I hurt you every day since you walked out of my life."

Ianto wasn't sure what to think of Jack's confession so he just filed it away to consider later, when he was alone. "Right, well then, let's get going."

_'All right, I'll let you go for now, but now I know you’re still interested in me and I swear, Jones, Ianto Jones, I will win you back,'_ Jack vowed silently as he conceded that for now the personal aspect of their discussion was over. But it was going to be a very long journey with only one another for company and sooner or later they were going to have to talk. "After you," Jack said with a sweeping flourish and a deep bow and then he grinned as Ianto rolled his eyes at his over-the-top theatrics. "Would you mind telling me where our first stop is?"

"New Shanghai, they have something we need," Ianto curtly informed him; he was so unsure about how he was going to face working with Jack again, but he knew he had no choice, not when he was so close to finally solving the mystery of the Time Lords. There was one thing, however, that Ianto was very sure of; _‘I am giving John Smith a loud piece of my mind the next time I see him!’_

Jack had already purchased and stowed away the myriad supplies that they’d need for the trip before Ianto’s arrival, so it only took a few minutes to load Ianto’s sparse belongings into his cabin and equipment into the cargo hold and they were ready to set off. Jack watched as his former lover headed into his ship and try as he might to stop himself, he found his gaze drifting down to Ianto's jeans-clad arse and it was so hard not to drool, _'It's still perfect,’_ and a soft groan escaped his lips. _‘This is going to be one long trip.'_ Knowing he could look but not touch was going to be pure torture for Jack, but it was a torture that had been of his own making and he had no choice but to deal with it the best he could.

As the hatch to the Myfanwy closed and sealed behind them, neither man noticed the hidden figure watching them from the shadows. "You were right; they’re going after the treasure of the Time Lords." They listened to whatever orders they were receiving over their comm link, a dangerous smile curving their lips, "I will keep a close eye on both Dr Jones and Harkness and report back to you when they are close enough to finding the Well of Time."

******

Arriving in New Shanghai didn’t take as long as he’d expected but still the journey took far longer than he’d wanted it to, and Ianto was very grateful to exit the ship. It had been a tense trip trapped in Jack's small cockpit; it wasn't easy sitting next to the man who still smelled so good and could make him weak in the knees with a simple smile but Ianto had refused to pass the time hiding in his cabin. He still had his pride, after all. _'The sooner this is over with the sooner we can go our own ways and I won't have to deal with Jack Harkness again.'_ Ianto ignored the pain in his chest at the thought of never seeing Jack again. Pushing those thoughts to the side Ianto quickly waved down the hover car waiting for them.

Ianto and Jack were barely seated in the car before their driver peeled out into traffic and the force of the acceleration sent Ianto flying into Jack's body with an undignified grunt. At the feeling of the Welshman's body pressed against his after so many years apart, Jack bit down hard on his lower lip hoping that the pain would keep his body from reacting. It felt so unbearably good to have Ianto’s very firm bottom pushed up against his thigh for the first time in a very long time and Jack wished it never had to end.

Beneath his hand Ianto could feel Jack's heart beating furiously and he knew his heart was beating just as fast; he also knew he should move away but he couldn't find the strength to, not once he’d made the mistake of looking into Jack's love and lust-filled blue eyes.

Their driver and the woman sitting across from Jack and Ianto shared an understanding look through the mirror as the two men seem to be stuck in a soulful moment. They gazed at one another as if the entire world had ceased to exist, and neither witness to the scene was sure if they should say something to break up the moment.

Their driver finally cleared his throat. "I hate to break up this tender moment but I'm Andy Davidson and this is Kathy Swanson; we’re UNIT Intelligence."

Andy's voice broke the spell that was slowly being woven over them and Ianto quickly pulled himself out of Jack's embrace, a hasty move that had Jack mourning the loss of contact. "What's the big rush?" Jack asked in a low growl, not at all happy that his moment with Ianto had been interrupted.

"I’m afraid that you're not the only ones after the prize; sources tell us that a few well-known guns-for-hire bounty hunters arrived two hours ago. Now luckily Kathy here managed to detain them for a bit, but we have to hurry," Andy explained. "Hang on to something," he warned as he made another sharp turn.

*****

Despite enjoying the feeling of Ianto body being thrown into his Jack was grateful when they finally arrived at their destination; he wasn't sure his stomach could handle any more of Andy's driving. Andy skilfully landed the car and exchanged a warning look with Kathy as she exited the car with a small black suitcase; it had already been decided that she would go through the front door while Jack and Ianto would find another way in, one where they wouldn't been seen.

"Be careful," Andy whispered softly to Kathy as she passed by his window.

"I always am," Kathy reminded him with a soft smile.

Ianto and Jack said nothing as they waited for Andy to finish making sure that Kathy got to the meeting place safely before Andy headed into an alley on the other side of the street.

Kathy was not a fool; her sharply-trained eyes had seen the two figures exiting a nearby car and heading in her direction and she immediately placed them as the two Weevils that had been detained by UNIT earlier the same week. _'Damn, it this is not good. I can only hope that Jack and Ianto are in place,’_ Kathy thought with a scowl on her pretty face.

She didn’t need to worry as Andy, whistling a happy tune, casually pushed a bulky trash container into place to cover up a newly created entrance in the rear wall of the Yvonne Hartmann Museum where a hole had been cut into it. _‘Good luck, mates, you’re going to need it,’_ Andy offered as he strolled back towards his car.

*****

Inside the museum the Weevil known as Janet made a distasteful face, she hated the scent of human females. They always wore that flowery stuff that made her nose itch and the blond woman strolling their way with her bodyguards seemed to have taken a bath in the perfume she wore.

Yvonne forced a smile on her pretty face. She hated dealing with lower life forms; they were so beneath her, but these two worked for a very powerful man and were going to give her a lot of money. Still she was a proper New British lady, and manners dictated that she treat all her guest with respect so with a plastic smile that never reached her eyes, she asked in her politest voice, "Won't you join me for a cup of tea?"

Janet and Brad exchanged long-suffering looks; they hated tea but they knew that Yvonne Hartman didn't take no for an answer, even to such an innocuous question. Nodding their heads they agreed to go along with things for now.

******

In another part of a museum where ancient artifacts were artfully laid out in glass cases at deceptively random spots on the shining marble floor, the room was silent until an out-of-place noise filled the air. Had anyone been in the display room, they would have seen a steel ventilation grate move as a hand slid it gently across the marble. Ianto cautiously stuck his head out of the opening just enough to make sure that the area was clear before he crawled out of the small space.

"Stop staring at my arse, Jack," Ianto mumbled under his breath; since the moment they began crawling through the vents Ianto had felt Jack's burning gaze focused solely on his behind and he was so very grateful that Jack couldn't see his blushing face.

Jack didn't need to see Ianto's face to know his ex was blushing, he knew Ianto all too well. "I can't help it, Ianto; it’s a downright delicious arse, I should know." Jack let himself get lost in his fantasies of just what he had done to Ianto before he foolishly threw it all way.

******

While Ianto and Jack were slowly making their way into the museum Yvonne was forcing herself to endure tea and snacks with Janet and Brad; at the moment she was trying not to be sick as she watched the two Weevils eat raw meat. _'Only a little longer; soon our transaction will be complete and I will never have to deal with them again.'_

As they noisily devoured the hunks of bloody beef from the silver tea tray, Brad and Janet exchanged looks, both wondering just how much longer they would have to put up with her before they could finish up the job they had been paid to do and head back to the comforts of their sewer headquarters.

******

"Wow!" Ianto whispered softly as he took in the artifacts that filled the glass cases, hung from the roof and decorated the walls. There were so many unbelievably rare items on display and even some that he’d never heard of before. _‘When this is all over, I have got to come back here and explore!’_

While Jack loved the sparkle that appeared in Ianto's blue eyes whenever he discovered something new, this time he was forced to carefully reminded Ianto why they were there. "Ianto, keep your eyes on the prize. We can play lookie-loo tourist and rescue some of these things later, okay?”

Ianto knew Jack was right; he had to keep his mind on why he was there but still, it was just so hard to leave all those wonderful treasures behind in the hands of someone like Yvonne but he didn't have a choice. "Right."

Together the two men moved stealthily and quickly through the artifacts although there were a few times when Jack had to catch Ianto by the arm and keep him from wandering off when his eyes caught sight of something he’d been searching for out in the field.

Finally and without encountering a single obstacle, they reached their destination. Sitting on a marble under a cut-crystal dome was a coral that seemed to be glowing even in the dim light.

"So what is it?" Jack asked, squinting his eyes at the strange-looking coral; he wasn't sure but he would have sworn that it was singing to him.

Ianto didn't answer as he slowly lifted the glass case, immensely grateful that Kathy had done her job and taken out the alarms. With shaky hands Ianto reached out and touched it, the coral felt warm in his hands. There was nothing but pure awe in Ianto's voice as he told Jack, "This is a TARDIS coral, I'm actually holding a baby TARDIS in the palm of my hand! Can you hear her, Jack? Her song is so beautiful."

Jack actually could hear what Ianto was talking about; the song seemed to be endless, it was time and space itself. "I can hear it, Yan; it's one of the most amazing sounds I’ve ever heard," Jack admitted his gaze moving from the coral to the man holding it.

At Jack's response Ianto shifted his gaze to the other man and found that he couldn't breathe as he saw the intense emotions swirling in Jack's eyes. "What is the most amazing sound you've ever heard?" he found himself asking.

"You, Ianto Jones, every time you speak," Jack admitted.

The tender moment between the two estranged lovers was interrupted as Yvonne, Brad and Janet, having finished the welcome ceremony, were heading their way, preceded of course by Yvonne’s muscle. The unexpected sound of metal feet reached their ears, and whirling around, Jack and Ianto came face-to-face with Yvonne's bodyguards who running at full speed between the display cases. Moving as one both men reached for their sonic blasters and fired, taking the first man down before he could get off his own shot.

"Ianto!" Jack roared in rage as Ianto was tackled from the side by another bodyguard that knocked the blaster from the Welshman’s hands but before Jack could reach Ianto's side there was another bodyguard heading his way.

Managing to land a stunning blow to his captor’s head, Ianto rolled to the side making room to move as he reached for his trusty bullwhip. With one savage crack the bodyguard lost his blaster and was left eyeing the whip warily before he pulled out his stun baton and stood watching Ianto with a grim look on his face. Ianto tried not to let his opponent see him wince; he hated those damn things.

Jack had been momentarily distracted by the appearance of the whip; he had firsthand knowledge of what Ianto could do with with that particular bit of braided leather and it took him back to old, much happier times. Jack’s inattention allowed his opponent to gain the upper hand.

******

While Ianto and Jack were facing off against their enemies, Yvonne and the Weevils were getting closer and closer to the artefacts gallery; the atmosphere was strained as none of the three bothered with idle conversation, until an explosive suddenly rocked the building, sending ceiling tiles and dust showering down on their heads.

“What on earth?” Yvonne shrank back against a wall, searching for answers.

Sharing a look Janet and Brad forget why they were there as they ran to investigate; confused by their reaction but unwilling to be left behind, Yvonne had little choice but to follow them.

******

Panting Ianto struggled to keep his breathing under control; he and the other man had been facing off for several minutes, managing only to make non-contact passes at one another. Lifting his hand Ianto began swinging the whip over his head once again, and then without warning it whizzed out towards the other man's face. But the bodyguard was quick to move and he took two lightning-fast cuts at the leather, hoping to catch it and send a charge back down its length to shock its wielder only to miss by mere centimetres.

A clever idea formed in Ianto's head as he swung for the man's feet, and he watched as the man jumped nimbly while trying unsuccessfully to catch the whip again. Ianto repeated the action and once more the man hopped over it; Ianto can see that the man was growing cocky so he again snapped the whip at his feet, and as the other man concentrated on easily avoiding the leather weapon, Ianto saw it, the split second opening he wanted.

While his opponent’s attention was focussed solely on the movement of his feet, Ianto unexpected snapped the whip again, sending it flashing up from the floor to wrap solidly and irrevocably around the man's neck. Whenever he possibly could, Ianto studiously avoided taking a life but this man had seen him and Jack, he knew what they had taken and therefore Ianto knew he could not let him live. With a heavy heart he gave the whip one strong pull ending the other man's life in a single, painless instant.

Having already taken care of his own opponent Jack got to Ianto’s side as fast as he could and the guilt and deep sorrow in Ianto's eyes made his own heart hurt. Reaching out and cupping Ianto's face with his hands he forced the younger man to look him in the eyes. "Hey, you had no other choice; if he had gotten the chance he would have killed you," Jack reminded him softly. “I’d rather have you survive, Yan,” and without thinking, Jack leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Ianto’s forehead.

Ianto knew Jack was right but before he could thank the other man gunshots unexpectedly filled the air; Jack grabbed Ianto and shoved them both behind a massive marble column. Peeking out cautiously, both men were surprised to see a snarling Yvonne Hartmann standing there with an ancient but clearly in working order a big black Thompson Submachine Gun.

Having followed Brad and Janet as they ran through the building, Yvonne had fallen a little behind – her six-inch spike heels were no match for the Weevil’s flat feet – and she had arrived in the artefacts room just in time to see the Weevil’s hover car burst in to flames. She wasn’t stupid and it hadn't taken Yvonne long to figure out that someone was trying to rob her.

"Come out and face me, you cowards!" Yvonne snarled loudly; no one stole so much as a paper clip from her and got away with it.

Jack and Ianto exchanged worried looks. he was pretty sure Yvonne wasn’t referring to them, but she _was_ cutting off their only escape route; well, at least she was until Jack's eyes drifted up to the huge bronze gong just hanging above them. Following Jack's gaze Ianto groaned softly knowing that Jack had come up with one of his crazy plans, plans that sometimes actually seemed to work. Praying that this was going to be one of those times, Ianto nodded at Jack, gently tucked the precious coral inside his shirt and prepared to act.

Reaching up together they pushed with tremendous effort to get the gong up a mere inch and slip it off its hook. Just as Ianto through they were going to fail, it bounced to the floor landing on its edge and chipping away at the marble with its monstrous weight. Jack and Ianto wasted no time in steadying it and then Jack gave a silent countdown to three before they put their whole bodies into rolling it across the room towards the window. As it began to roll Jack firmly linked his hand with Ianto; he wasn't going to risk accidentally losing his Welshman. that of, Moving as one, they slipped behind the rolling gong and carefully matched their speed to it; their long legs made it easy to keep up with it as they ran across the room.

An enraged scream escaped Yvonne's lips as she opened fire on the gong, and the vicious cacophony of machine gun fire was joined by the musical reports of bullets hitting the massive bronze artefact and ricocheting away.

Behind the gong, Jack tightened his grip on Ianto's hand and despite the danger of the situation he couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope surge in his chest as Ianto squeezed back. "Get ready to jump," Jack ordered when he realised that the gong was about to be stopped by an inconveniently placed marble bench. Ianto used his free arm to cradle the delicate form of the coral when as one they took one long stride up onto the bench and then dove through the glass of the high window.

Their timing was absolutely impeccable; they crashed through the leaded glass just as Yvonne's bullets hit the wall where Ianto's head would have been. As they sailed out into free-fall, Yvonne’s scream of impotent rage echoed in their ears.

Ianto and Jack landed in a shower of glass on the jutting roof of the museum's first floor. They rolled back against the wall and went into a low crouch as they looked around. Suddenly, Jack shielded Ianto with his body as they were fired upon multiple times by the Weevils who had escaped their burning vehicle and taken to the emergency walkway of the building across the street.

"Run!" Jack snapped harshly as he hauled them both to their feet; making sure Ianto was in front of him, Jack pushed the other man across the roof and towards the rear of the museum. If the situation wasn't hadn’t been life or death Ianto would have had a few choice things to say to Jack for his rough and imperious treatment of him.

******

"Where are they?" Kathy grumbled under her breath; her job was done and she joined Andy in craning her neck trying to locate the two men.

A thud in the backseat had both her and Andy whirling around to find the two missing men in a tangled heap half on the seat and half on the floor. It was only by pure luck that Andy had lowered the roof of the hover car, a fact that both Jack and Ianto were extraordinarily grateful for as they jumped from the roof of the museum into the slowly moving car.

"Are you two all right?" Andy demanded once he got his heart rate under control.

Both men groaned as they struggled to straighten themselves out in the cramped quarters; the snarky 'I've felt better' retorts went unsaid as they finally climbed into their seats. Highly concerned for welfare of his fragile treasure, Ianto gently pulled out the coral he had cradled safely against his body and held it up for Kathy and Andy to see. The proud but reverent smile on his face was truly blinding and seeing it, having it fall on him made Jack feel so much warmer than before. “Ianto, you’re brilliant!” Jack couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and caressing Ianto’s cheek and he completely failed to hide his surprised pleasure when he felt Ianto lean into his touch.

"Great, we got it." Grinning with excitement, Andy gunned the engine, once again sending Ianto sliding into Jack's arms. "Where to now?"

Jack couldn't help but feel a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach at Andy's question and the look of pure mischief in Ianto's eyes as he happily informed Andy of their next destination only confirmed Jack's fears. "New Egypt, we’re going to visit Tosh." Turning to gaze at Jack, Ianto took great joy in how pale his former lover turned at the mention of their old friend.

Only one thought ran through Jack's mind as he forced himself to release Ianto: _'I am a dead man.'_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't stick these six-inch heels up your sweet arse, Jack Harkness?" That was the greeting Toshiko gave Jack when he and Ianto appeared on the doorstep of her home in New Egypt. The tech genius had resigned her post at New Cardiff’s university and moved to New Egypt when it had rightfully achieved the honour of technology headquarters of  New Earth.

_'Yep, I'm a dead man.'_ Jack refused to give into the pure terror coursing through his body as he stared at the tiny, fiery dragon known as Toshiko Sato, Ianto's best friend. "I can say nothing in my defence except that I was a blind fool who ended up hurting the man I love with all my heart thereby destroying the best thing that has ever happened in my life. Please believe me when I tell you that I have spent every day since regretting letting Ianto go."

Tosh could hear the honesty in Jack's voice, and the pain and regret reflected in his blue eyes were easy to see.  She knew then that Ianto wasn't the only one who had been hurt and it made her remember that Jack had been her friend too before that conniving bitch, Gwen Cooper, had sunk her claws into him. "I'll refrain from ripping you a new asshole, for now. You're just lucky that Suzie is off-world and won't be back until next week." While she had softened just a little towards Jack over the past five years, Suzie had not and more than once her wife had gone into graphic gory detail of just what she would do to Jack should she ever see him again.

Jack gave an involuntary shiver. Suzie was well known for holding a grudge against those who hurt someone she cared about and while he and Suzie were long-time friends, she had adopted Ianto as a brother. Suzie had given him the scariest shovel talk known to man when he’d begun dating Ianto and the image of what would happen to him and his mini-captain should he hurt Ianto in any way still haunted him. Upon learning of his involvement with Gwen Suzie had made good on her promise to use him as target practice; for one full month Jack had been so terrified of her deadly skill with a handgun that he’d refused to leave his home.

Grateful for Tosh's support but knowing now was not the time to go into old history, Ianto placed his hands on Tosh's shoulders. The pure excitement shining in his eyes belied the calm tone of his words, "Tosh, we've found it." He didn't need to explain; Tosh knew what he was talking about.

Eyes widening in shock and amazement, Tosh took a step back. "You better come in." As both men passed her Tosh's gaze darted from side to side as she checked the street outside to make sure no one had followed the two men. Once inside Tosh activated the intricate and impenetrable security system she had designed herself, one that put all others to shame and could not be hacked or broken into no matter how talented the one trying to get into it was. They might be good but she was much, _much_ better.

******

After hearing the whole story from Ianto, Jack was grateful to see that Tosh's glare had gone down a notch or two and her gaze was a little warmer when she looked at him, but it was what she told them next that had both men freezing. "You're not the only two looking for the Well of Time, Ianto, so is Owen, he’s already tried to hire me. Twice."

Ianto had known it was a possibility, even a probability, but he hadn't wanted to be true. "I'm not surprised,” he sighed. “This is the greatest find in history and you’re the only one I can think of who can help me with these markings.” Ianto reached out and squeezed Tosh hands. “Still, I know it can't have been easy to see Owen again."

Tosh smiled weakly at Ianto. No, it hadn't been easy seeing her old crush again but when she had looked at him this time, she hadn't seen the man she had fallen for so long ago; in his place had stood a man who’d lost his humanity and his ability to care about the welfare of others. After losing Katie, the only woman Owen would ever love, he had stopped caring about everything and everyone and had begun caring only about those who could help him find the Well of Time. Locating the mythical treasure had consumed him, nearly driving him to the brink of madness.

"I'm afraid he's close to finding the Well of Time." All three of them knew exactly what Owen's goal was, he wanted to go back in time and save Katie before she could be killed in a senseless and pointless attack.

Stroking the coral with tender fingertips, Ianto found himself reminding them, "Even Owen won't be able to find it without the coral, this baby TARDIS is drawn to the Well of Time no matter how old it is. Can you make anything of those markings? They're nothing I'm familiar with." And wasn't that painful for Ianto to admit as he prided himself on knowing everything there was to know about the Time Lords.

After studying the strange markings that lined the base of the coral Tosh was forced to also admit defeat and shook her head no. "But I know of someone who might, you can go to see them tomorrow." She bit her lower lip in indecision before finally giving voice to her fears, "Ianto, something bothers me."

Jack and Ianto exchange a look; it was never a good thing when Tosh was worried. "What is it, my friend?"

For a moment Tosh found it hard to speak and finally when she did, her words were accompanied by a strange, eerie and foreboding rush of wind that shouldn't be possible given they were inside. "It’s the treasure; if it is there at Tanis, it is not something that we were meant to disturb. Death has always surrounded it. It is _not_ something we should be messing with."

Ianto and Jack shuddered as the wind died down as suddenly as it had begun and both men stared thoughtfully at Tosh. She did have a point and it forced them to think of something they hadn't before.

******

After a restless night spent in separate rooms, Ianto and Jack took leave of Tosh's place with the address of her friend firmly locked in Ianto's mind. Neither of them spoke as they headed into the city and quickly reached the tiny central square, made even more cramped by its use that day as a small bazaar. As they made their way through the crowd they were not blind to the rather obvious followers they had acquired, but they didn’t dare draw their weapons with so many innocents in the way. Still that didn't stop Ianto from reaching into his jacket and pulling out his faithful bull whip, the first one to reach them was going to get hit squarely in the mouth with the handle of the whip.

It was at that very moment that all hell broke loose as the bad guys converged on Ianto and Jack and the innocent shoppers began screaming in numerous languages and fleeing in all directions. Pure chaos erupted as Ianto used his whip to pull away a main support pole of a nearby booth causing its many cast iron and ceramic pots and pans to fall onto two of the two Weevils chasing him.

Jack wasn't afraid to fight dirty and found it much easier to take on those who came after him. He knew what he had to do in similar combat situations; it was snap decisions that had kept him and his men alive in the wars. He would willingly take a life if it meant protecting those he cared about the most and a certain Welshman was certainly at the very top of his list.

Ianto and Jack could only blink in surprise as the crowd of enemies unexpectedly parted and their next opponent came in to view. Standing in front of the group and carrying a sword of all things, was a hulking Weevil wearing a smirk that said he was very impressed with himself while he did a rather mesmerising twirl with his sword.

"Who brings a sword to a gun fight?" Ianto asked in pure disbelief.

Jack didn’t give their enemy a chance to answer as he immediately pulled out his beloved Webley and completely unimpressed with the man's display Jack ended it with a single shot. The six-shot WWII artefact was a treasured gift from Ianto to him on their first Christmas together and it remained his most prized possession. With his back to the other man, he didn't see the swirls of emotion and pleasure that appeared in Ianto's eyes at the sight of the gift he had searched a better part of a year to find. Knowing that Jack still had it after all their years apart softened his heart a little more towards Jack; maybe there was hope for them yet.

Just as the man fell to the ground and the sword clattered down beside him, a loud explosion rocked the market place nearly knocking them off their feet. Ianto was horrified to see that during their fight some of the others had planted powerful explosives around the marketplace, claiming the lives of several innocent bystanders. So lost was he in the devastation and the senseless violence that Ianto failed to notice the man who brushed against him, silently slipping him a note and then vanishing into the crowd, leaving behind others to deal with the deadly chaos that had escalated in seconds.

******

"You didn't have to come with me, but thank you anyway." Ianto made sure to keep his voice a soft whisper as he and Jack entered a dark, smoke-filled den. The mysterious note he had found in his pocket said to go to the bar and wait to be contacted; given the extremes someone had gone to deliver the message Ianto wasn't going to take any chances.

Jack wrinkled his nose with distaste as he took in the dark den and the patrons who could be the poster children for fearsome. "No thanks needed, Yan; I don't plan on letting you out of my sight until this is over," _'and not even then.'_ Too many times during this short but perilous journey Jack's heart had nearly stopped at the danger Ianto had been in and there was no way he was letting the man out of his sight.

Ianto firmly told himself he wasn't going to blush as he turned away from Jack and headed for the bar but the faint redness on his cheeks was seen by Jack. The man couldn't help but smile to himself as he followed Ianto and his eyes just naturally fell onto Ianto's behind as he walked and he couldn't help but lick his lips. He was thrilled beyond belief that there was a still a chance he could fix things with Ianto.

Ianto found it hard not to slip into old patterns and behaviours with Jack but the man did know how to spin a good tale and he soon found himself listening to story after story. For a moment Ianto forgot about all the pain and betrayal that had ripped them apart; for now it was just like old times and he was enjoying every second of it.

The spell was broken when the silver-skinned bartender placed a bottle of hyper-vodka in front of them, and both men eyed it suspiciously. "I'm sorry, but we didn't order this," Ianto informed her with a polite smile.

The woman shook her head slowly and then nodded behind them. "It's from the gentleman in the corner seat; he would like the two of you to join him," she explained.

Ianto took a deep breath as he shared a look with Jack; this was it, the reason they had come to such an unpleasant place, to meet the mystery man who was behind the attacks on them. Not about to turn down a bottle of very expensive hyper-vodka Jack picked it up and took it with him as he and Ianto moved to the shadow-shrouded corner table.

"Owen!" There was pure and absolute disbelief in Ianto's tone as he stared at the man he’d hoped had been finished off by the Tarqin warriors seemingly enjoying a glass of wine.

"Good evening, Dr Jones, Captain Harkness. I must admit that I was rather surprised to learn the two of you were working together. Last I heard that bitch, Gwen Cooper, had succeeded in sinking her claws into you, Jack, and had broken the two of you up." Owen knew his nasty comment had hit the mark when a flash of pain appeared in Ianto's eyes at the reminder of Jack's betrayal.  "Where are my manners? Please, sit down and join me."

Knowing that they had little choice but to accept Ianto and Jack took the empty seats across from Owen, their sharp eyes taking in the group of disreputable men slipping into the suddenly free tables around them.

"Not a very private place for a murder," Jack pointed out as he made sure to position himself between Ianto and the nearest group of hired goons.

Owen merely raised an amused eyebrow as he took a sip of his wine. “For the right price they will turn a blind eye, but rest assured that I am not going to kill either of you, not just yet. You have something I want, something I need. I need the coral you have, Ianto."

Ianto shook his head decisively. "There is no way I will ever hand over the TARDIS coral to you, Owen, and you know it. It's staying with me and it’s going to be placed in a safe place, one where it can never be used." Ianto’s plan was to find the treasure of the Time Lords and then put it all in the museum where it belonged.

"If you had the chance to change a single moment in time, one that cost you the person you can't live without, you're telling me you wouldn't take that chance?" Owen demanded to know, his face twisted with rage.

Jack swallowed hard as he refused to stare at Ianto. The idea of going back in time and stopping himself from ever meeting Gwen Cooper and hurting Ianto was far too strong a pull; he knew exactly what Owen was talking about and he could easily sympathise with Owen's reasoning.

Ianto also understood perfectly well and he paled dramatically. "You mean to save Katie, don't you?"

Owen's jaw tightened as did his hand on the stem of his wine glass; in fact it tightened so much that the delicate crystal snapped, sending wine splashing across the table. "Yes! And nothing and no one is going to stand in my way and if I have to, Jones, I will take the coral from you by force."

Ianto and Jack both knew that Owen was not making an empty promise but at the same time there was simply no way that they could hand over the coral. It was the only known artefact in the universe that could lead someone to the Well of Time, and Owen was the very last person who should be allowed to find it, not after he admitted that he planned to change the course of history.

Owen saw the tightness around Jack and Ianto's jaws and knew that they weren't going to be persuaded to hand it over so easily. _'I really wish it hadn't come to this,'_ he thought sadly. He really didn’t want to hurt anyone; he just wanted his Katie back alive and happy and in his arms again, no matter what. “You know,” he began slowly, "It would be a terrible shame if something happened to Tosh or to Suzie;, after all there is so much that can go wrong on a shuttle craft." Owen let the thinly-veiled threat hang in the air as he idly blotted at his spilled wine.

"You wouldn't!" Jack hissed out while Ianto stared in disbelief. “Have you no decency left?”

“As a matter of fact, no, I don’t.”Owen's eyes were deadly serious as he leaned forward, "When it comes to saving Katie there isn't any line I'm not willing to cross."

Ianto knew that Owen was speaking the truth, when he’d lost Katie it was like he had lost whatever it was that made him a caring human being. He and Jack were facing a desperate man who would do whatever it took to save the love of his life. "If I agree to give you the coral so you can save Katie will you swear to leave Tosh, Suzie and everyone else we care about alone?"

"If you agree to my terms then yes, I swear that everyone you care for will be spared." Owen knew that he had won; Ianto was a bleeding heart who unwisely cared deeply for those in his life.

"Ianto, you can't be serious!" Jack didn't know how Ianto could give in so easily.

"I can't risk Tosh or Suzie, Jack, and I can't risk you either," Ianto admitted in a soft voice, and for a moment Jack couldn't breathe as the emotions shining in Ianto's blue eyes washed over him. Once he was sure that Jack had seen how much he still cared about him, Ianto refocused his gaze on Owen. "As you figured I don't have the coral on me, it's hidden safely away, but I'll bring it to you in the morning, you have my word." He held out his hand to Owen.

If there was one thing Owen Harper knew about Ianto Jones it was the fact that he was indeed a man of his word and a loyal soul, which was why he always wondered how Ianto had ended up with Jack. Given the man's reputation for shagging everything that moved and for never showing one inkling of wanting a monogamous relationship he’d have thought someone like Ianto Jones would have run the other way. Still that was not his problem and he smiled coldly as he slid a small data chip across the table. "Bring the coral to this address at first light and no later unless you want to make your precious Toshiko a widow."

Ianto's blue eyes flashed dangerously as he accepted the chip. "It will be there," he growled out before climbing to his feet.

Stunned beyond words by what had just taken place, Jack quickly climbed to his feet and chased after the other man. Owen watched them go with a knowing look in his eyes as he placed a well-worn journal on the table and stroked its cover lovingly. "Thank you again, Mr Saxon, for giving me everything I need to find the Well of Time." It hadn't been easy getting his hands on Saxon's journal; in fact it had taken some very skilled thieves and a very large sum to steal it but it had been worth every penny he had spent to bring his beloved Katie back to him.

******

Outside the pub Jack had managed to catch up to Ianto; reaching out he grabbed Ianto by the arm and whirled the other man around to face him. "What was that?” Jack struggled not to shout. “Why did you give into Owen's demands? We could have found a way to keep Tosh and Suzie safe without handing over the coral!" Jack couldn't understand why Ianto would do such a thing.

"I need you to trust me, Jack, and to believe in me that I have a plan." Ianto gripped his old lover’s hands tightly as pleaded with Jack. "I'll explain everything when we reach Tosh's." He just needed Jack to trust him.

Jack studied Ianto and the pleading look in those blue eyes he loved so much. "I do trust you, Ianto, I always have, it's me who's never been the trustworthy one," Jack admitted softly. “And I’m so very, very sorry about that.”

Ianto swallowed hard. "After this is all over we are going to have a long talk about the two of us."

Jack felt hope fill him and warm his heart for the first time in years. "I think we do as well and we will, I promise." Jack would do everything in his power to earn a second chance with Ianto and this time he would not screw up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Arriving back at Tosh's the woman only had to take one look at the despondent looks in Jack and Ianto's expressions and felt her shoulders slumped. "I take it your fears proved correct and Owen is behind everything?" she asked Ianto as she took him by the hand and led him into the lounge.

The Welshman let out a deep sigh and nodded his head. "He wants to reverse time and save Katie and if I don't hand over the coral, he's threatened to kill you and Suzie." Ianto told her the truth in a soft voice. "He's not our friend Owen anymore, Tosh; he only cares about saving Katie and it doesn't matter who he has to destroy to do it. Did you do as I asked?"

Horrified that someone she had once considered her good friend would threaten her and her wife Tosh silently nodded her head. "I planted the trace like you wanted and I have to say it's some of my best work yet; it cannot be detected by any tracers human or alien." There was real pride in Tosh's voice.

Ianto smiled at her. "That's why you are the best, my friend."

And suddenly Jack knew exactly what Ianto was planning and he smiled brightly at his ex. "I should have never doubted you, Ianto. Sometimes I forget just how clever you are."

Ianto smiled at Jack's praise. "Thank you, Jack. I said I would give Owen the coral, I didn't say that I’d let him keep it. Owen has been one step ahead me this whole time and I think he already knows where the Well is, so I'll give him the TARDIS coral and let him led us to the Well of Time and the treasure of the Time Lords."

Excited by the prospect of besting the onerous and clearly insane Owen Harper, Jack barely refrained from reaching out and kissing Ianto. He may have a chance at winning Ianto back and he knew that moving too fast would only set him back, but still it was hard.

Sensing that there had been a significant change between the two men Tosh looked from one to the other and realised that she could actually feel the spark of energy that had always been between the two had come back to life and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, she was so very happy for them; both men were her dear friends, Ianto especially, and she had seen firsthand how deeply they loved each other. The pure joy in Ianto’s eyes when he told her about Jack for the first time had brought tears to Tosh’s eyes.

On the other hand, however, she remembered how totally devastated Ianto had been when he’d learned that Jack had cheated on him. It had nearly destroyed him and for a short time, Toshiko had actually feared for the man’s life; his lover’s betrayal had left Ianto feeling completely worthless and unable to be loved. _'I hope for both your sakes that this time it turns out better than the last time and I swear, Jack, this time you treat Ianto right or you will be answering to me first and then to Suzie,'_ Tosh vowed silently. _‘That’s if there’s anything left for Suzie to deal with!’_

******

The next morning, as the sun began colouring the sky in delicate shades of pink and gold, Jack and Ianto arrived at the chosen meeting site, an actual stereotypically rundown warehouse that would have been right at home in the newest horror movie. While Ianto knew that Tosh's tracker would let him follow Owen and the baby TARDIS from a safe, undetectable distance it was still hard to hand it the precious article over to Owen.

Owen couldn’t help himself as he stared in true awe at the baby coral and realised that he could hear Katie's voice in his head; he knew at that moment that he was holding a real TARDIS coral in his hands. "I always knew that you were a man of your word, Jones, but on the safe side…" Owen tossed a set of time cuffs at Jack and Ianto. "These are set to open up in five hours, plenty of time for me to get far away from here and for the two of you to have a much needed talk."

Ianto cringed; even Owen could tell that that he and Jack were long over-due for a frank discussion. _‘Could things be any more embarrassing?’_

Normally Jack wouldn't have a problem being handcuff to Ianto but dank, filthy warehouse was definitely _not_ the setting he’d ever imaged. No, when they did talk he wanted it to be in a romantic setting where he could whisk Ianto off his feet and show him out much he loved him, rather than just tell him. Still for now they had no choice but to go along with Owen's plans in order to assure that he was too far away to harm Tosh or Suzie.

Once he was sure that Ianto and Jack were safely handcuffed to a post Owen knelt down in front of Ianto and looked him straight in the eye as he patted him on the shoulder. "I promise you, Ianto, when this is all over and I have Katie back, I will give you the coral back unharmed. Once I’ve put time right you'll see things will be different, they’ll be better for everyone and maybe as a thank you I'll even make sure that Harkness here keeps it in his pants when he meets Gwen." Owen felt a slight twinge of pain in his chest as he saw the flash of pain that appeared in Ianto eyes at his taunt but he ruthlessly shoved it down; he had no room in his plan to show weakness, not when saving Katie was so close he could taste it.

*******

"When I said we had to talk this was not how I pictured it," Ianto confessed ruefully as he found himself cuffed next to Jack.

Jack smiled sadly at Ianto, his own blue eyes showing his regret for his actions in the past. "Our talk will wait, right now I just need you to know how much I have regretted meeting Gwen Cooper and hurting you and I want a chance to prove to you how sorry I am."

"I know, Jack, I can see how much you do and I promise when this is all over we will talk. I want to clear the air between us just as much as you do." Taking a chance Ianto squeezed Jack's hand and then left their hands entwined; Jack felt a sense of real hope filling his chest.

******

True to his word the handcuffs unlocked exactly five hours from the moment Owen had locked them around their wrists and the men wasted no time in getting away from their dreary prison. Jack could have kissed Tosh when they arrived at the hanger bay to find the Myfanwy prepared and ready for them, her tracker on the coral active.

"Tosh, you're an angel!" Ianto thanked his friend by pulling Tosh into a hug. "Are you sure you don't want to come? It’ll be quite an adventure," Ianto asked as he released her.

Tosh shook her head. "You know I would but I need to stay here and get in contact with Suzie to make sure she knows that Owen threaten her." While the call of adventure was indeed strong the need to make sure her wife was safe was much more important.

Ianto understood and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Give Suzie my love and I'll see you after this is all over," he promised.

Tosh threw her arms around Ianto. "Stay safe," she whispered before releasing him and then, to Jack's surprise, the petite Japanese woman gave him the same treatment except that she hissed in his ear, "Stay safe and remember this is your last chance, Jack, don't mess it up."

Jack nodded his head. "I know, Tosh, and I promise you I will bring Ianto back in one piece."

Satisfied that her point had been made Tosh pulled away from Jack and nodded her head. "Good. I look forward to hearing your tale when you get back."

******

Ianto hated the fact that they were five hours behind Owen and even though Jack pushed the Myfanwy's engines to their maximum they couldn't close the gap, so to keep his mind off of Owen reaching the Well of Time before him Ianto plotted their course and checked it meticulously against the pages of the Time Lord's journal. As he studied the star charts recorded centuries earlier, he muttered to himself, "Kronos! Jack, we’re heading towards the planet Kronos!" Ianto breathed out in shock once he realised where the tracker was leading them.

Jack stared at Ianto, "Kronos? Are you sure?" Kronos was universally classified as a forbidden planet; its surface was intensely hostile and could not support any form of life. Before its designation as off-limits, several exploratory attempts had resulted in death for all participants. It was the perfect place to hide the knowledge of the Time Lords.

"Luckily Myfanwy is fully stocked with everything we could need." Jack patted his console affectionately; his ship was as amazing as she was beautiful and he told her so quite often.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**   
_  
Kronos_

As they neared the planet Kronos they could see one of the many reasons why the planet was forbidden; even from space they could see the violent storms that covered the surface of the planet and often rose fifty kilometres into the atmosphere. It was going to be a difficult and dangerous landing.

"Buckle up, Yan; this is going to be rough," Jack growled warningly as he strapped himself in.

Ianto didn't hesitate to follow Jack's order and just had finished buckling himself in when the first bolt of lightning hit the hull. Ianto barely suppressed a startled squeak and he was sure that by the time this landing was over there would be impressions of his nail marks left in the seats.

Jack gritted his teeth as he did his very best to fly them safely through the worst of the storms; he took advantage of every opening he could find, but he couldn't promise a smooth landing. All he could do was try his best to land them in one piece.

Ianto had always been proud of and amazed by Jack's natural talent as a pilot and this time was no different. Jack used his formidable skills to fly them safely through the violent storms; it was like he and the ship were one and Ianto couldn't help but be impressed.

Once they breached the worst of the storms Ianto and Jack's eyes widened as they saw what was hidden beneath the storms, paradise awaited them. While the outer layer was an endless roiling nightmare of violence, beneath that was a calm and tranquil world of pure beauty. They could see vast silver oceans that stretched out endlessly, meeting the purple sky that reached out to them at a distant horizon, and long swaths of rolling golden hills glinting under the blue sun. Yes, it was truly a sight to see.

And there in the centre of the nearest island was a swirling mass of golden energy: the very embodiment of time and space. They’d found it, the Rift in Time and Space, the Well of Time, the source of Time Lord knowledge. It was everything that Ianto could have ever pictured it to be and more, Ianto just hoped they were in time to stop Owen from destroying everything.

******

Owen Harper stood in the middle of the time/space Rift feeling the coral in his arms humming in sync with the energy. "Why won't you show me what I want to see? Why won't you show me how to save Katie?" Owen demanded, a hint of desperation in his voice. “Show me!”

The energy around him hummed but offered no answers.

So lost was he in his frantic need for answers Owen never noticed when Ianto and Jack arrived to join him in the middle of the Rift.

Ianto gasped as time itself swirled around them. "Can you feel it, Jack? It's alive!" he whispered in awe as the energy wrapped itself around him, dancing across his skin and filling his soul. As he stared at the myriad TARDIS' that surrounded the Rift, each one different in appearance, all feeding off of its energy like a flock of magical birds, and as he closed his eyes Ianto could hear them all singing to him.

All around them the energy of the Rift wrapped around them, of time and space filled the air, showing each of them the way their lives could have turned out. Jack how wonderfully his life would have turned out had he treated Ianto right and he vowed that that would be his future.

"I can see it, Yan, and it’s beautiful! But what about Owen, he's desperate and it doesn’t look like things are going his way," Jack pointed out bringing Ianto back from his admiration of the TARDIS'.

Ianto knew what he needed to do; he only hoped he could reach his friend. "It doesn't work like that, Owen! You can't change Katie's fate! You'll rip apart of all time and space!" Ianto shouted trying to make Owen see reason.

Owen shook his head. "I don't care! I don't want to live in a world that doesn't have Katie in it!"

Beneath them the ground began shifting as tendrils of time began drifting out of the Rift and wrapping around Owen.

"Owen! We have to leave this place! There’s a reason why only Time Lords could do this, why only they could command time. It won't work for you, Owen! You’re not a Time Lord, you'll be ripped apart!" Ianto continued to plead with Owen.

But Owen either didn't or couldn’t hear him for out of the Rift came Katie, still as beautiful as the day he first meet her and her sweet smile was still the same as she held out her hand to him. "Owen, you cannot change my fate; it is a set point in time. It was always have taken place in order for this day to happen. This is the way it was meant to be, my love, you must understand that." The men could see her lips moving but they were hearing her in their minds.

“NO!” Owen shook his head in vehement denial. "No! Why did I have to lose the one thing that gave me meaning? That made my life worth living?" the distraught man demanded to know.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Katie smiled sadly at Owen. This is the role we were destined to play and as much as we want to, we simply cannot change my destiny. You must leave this place, Owen; the time has not yet come for answers about the Time Lords to be found. Leave voluntarily or the Rift will remove you from here by force," Katie warned.

"I'm not leaving you, Katie; I'm not losing you again! I would rather be ripped apart by time than to live without you again, to live with knowing I’d failed to save you a second time!”

Katie's eyes widened, she knew what Owen was planning. "Owen, no! You'll be trapped here forever!"

"I'd rather be trapped with you then live another moment without you." Owen smiled warmly at Katie, the love in his heart shining in his eyes. "Jones, catch!"

That was the only warning Ianto had as Owen turned and tossed him the baby coral. It was a bad throw and Ianto had to leap sideways to catch her, but then he clutched it in his hands and stroked it lovingly, listening to her song for a moment before the realisation of what Owen was going to do sank in.

"Owen, no!" Both Jack and Ianto cried out as they watched in horror as Owen willingly jumped into the Rift.

Ianto turned and buried his head in Jack's chest and felt Jack's arms come up to wrap around his shoulders, holding him close as time began rippling and coiling about them.

Jack knew that this could be his only chance. "I love you, Ianto Jones, I always have and I always will. And if these are truly out last few moments of life, I want you to know that hurting you was my biggest regret and if I could, I would go back in time and stop myself from ever meeting Gwen Cooper."

Lifting his head up Ianto smiled up at Jack. "I love you too, Jack Harkness; I always have and I always will," and he pressed a kiss onto Jack's lips.

It was tentative kiss, one of forgiveness and of new beginning and Jack could have wept with joy at everything the kiss implied. Suddenly it didn't matter that they were in the middle of a Rift storm, all that mattered was that Jack finally had Ianto back in his arms, back where he belonged.

The two men were so intent on conveying their love for one another that they never noticed that the TARDIS' were swarming around them and their singing was growing louder or that the baby coral in Ianto's arms was humming and trembling in time to the music. They certainly never noticed the mist of golden energy wrapping itself around them and gently lifting them into the air. 

"Well this is certainly unexpected."

The sound of the Doctor's voice startled Ianto and Jack out of their little world and the two men jolted with awareness as they realised they were no longer on Kronos but back in Tosh's living room with Tosh, Suzie and John staring at them in different degrees of surprise.

"Doc, what are you doing here?" Jack asked, making sure to keep Ianto close to his body.

John raised an eyebrow. "After Owen made his threat against Suzie, Tosh called me and asked me to arrange a safer ride home for Suzie and I tagged along, wanting to make sure that they would be safe. Now that I have answered your question, mind telling us how you arrived out of nowhere in a swirl of golden energy?" he asked, curiosity lacing his voice as he leaned forward. "Did you find the treasure of the Time Lords?"

Ianto and Jack shared a look, "We'll tell you all about it in a moment. But I can tell you that the treasure of the Time Lords is safe and no one will be getting to it. But do you mind if I have a moment alone with Jack first, please?" Ianto asked.

Suzie's eyes narrowed dangerously as she took in the two men. "I'll be watching you, Harkness," she warned. "You mess up they will never find your body."

Jack gulped seeing the seriousness in her eyes; this was not an empty threat.

Jumping to her feet Tosh grabbed her wife by the hand. "Come on, let's give them a moment alone and after we have a few snacks then you can threaten Jack all you want." She offered Suzie her most beguiling smile, the one Suzie could never resist.

"Hey! I…" Jack started to complain only to silence himself at the look both women threw him; he knew how protective they were over Ianto and it wouldn’t be wise to rile them at this delicate stage of his reunion with his beloved Welshman. "Right, carry on."

Ianto smiled ever-so-sweetly at Suzie and Tosh. "I know Jack made a mistake but I want to make this work with him so could you please back off?"

Jack turned to face Ianto with hope shining in his eyes. "Really? You'll give me a second chance?" He couldn't believe his ears.

"One day at a time, okay?" Ianto offered with a shy smile, he loved Jack, there was no changing that and while the man had hurt him in the past, something told him that Jack would be much more careful with his heart this time.  

"I can do that," Jack quickly agreed. "I'm going to make sure that you never have to doubt my love for you, ever again." Jack promised.

Ianto smiled at Jack and pressed a shy kiss against Jack's lips. "I know you won't."

And in Ianto's arms the TARDIS coral hummed in joy as she felt the happiness surging through the young man; after all, his happiness was all that mattered to her.

******  
 _Kronos_

The swarm of TARDIS' hummed with happiness and danced through the Rift with pure joy. At long last they had found the lost child of their beloved Time Lords and soon Ianto Jones would be ready to accept his destiny and when he did, they would all be waiting for him to guide him and help him become everything he was meant to be.

Once again the Time Lords would flourish throughout time and space.

The End


End file.
